Student en Stad was founded in 1993 by a group of students. These students saw that municipal politics in Groningen spoke a lot about youths and students, but very little with them. In order to change this, the local political party Student & Stadwas created.
Student & Stad took part in the 1994 municipal elections and succeeded to claim a seat in the municipal council of Groningen. During the last 25 years, Student en Stad has never lost this seat and has been representing the voices and opinions of youths, students and young graduates ever since.
Groningen has one of the youngest populations in the Netherlands. Student en Stad believes that this young population should work as a billboard for the city. The young population of Groningen supports and creates a city with a vibrant city life and equal night life. Furthermore, the University of Groningen, the Hanze University and their students provide the city with knowledge and innovation that should be used to better the city.
We strongly believe students are an addition to our city. In order to increase the advantages Groningen receives from youths and students, the city should aim to keep these talents connect to the city. By creating a climate in which young people like to live, in which graduates like to stay and in which it is possible to both find housing and a job, the city will get the most out of the opportunity its young population has to offer.
Student en Stad uses its fresh and innovative point of view to evaluate and initiate city policies. We aim for a vibrant city that enables activities such as festivals and a unique nightlife. We want to ensure sufficient housing for students. We want a city that offers high quality public transport and biking facilities. We want a city that is able to offer jobs for graduates and uses the innovative talents of its young population.
Groningen should be a city that is ready for the future. The city needs to facilitate the city’s increasing international character and should be open to become more international. Furthermore, Groningen should become a sustainable city and should contribute to efforts to mitigate climate change.
In September 2014, the board of Student en Stad was created with the goal to professionalize the party, to better connect with the population of Groningen and its large amount of associations and let the party grow as a whole. The first board (2014-2015) consisted of 5 members. The subsequent boards and current board consist of 4 members. The activities of the political party Student en Stad are since the creation of the board divided into its political activities and the activities of Student en Stad as an association.
The board organizes annual events for Student en Stad’s constituents. It aims to both increase the awareness and reputation of both Student en Stad as municipal politics in general. Furthermore, the board maintains the relations with many of the city’s (student-) associations. Cooperation is an important part of the work of Student en Stad’s board. In recent years the board has cooperated with for example the Hanze Studentenbelangen Vereniging (HSV), theStudenten Organisatie Groningen (SOG), Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Groningen, the Kommissie Eerstejaars Introduktie (KEI), the Groninger Politiek Jongeren Kontakt (GPJK), the Groninger Studentbond (GSb) and many more.
Student en Stad is a political party that every student, graduate or Young professional from Groningen can join. As a local party we are not bound by policies and guidelines of a national party. This enables to evaluate the city’s problems and chances fresh and unbiased. We believe that our party should stay young and continue to be able to innovate. To ensure this we practice what we preach, and make sure our council members are students or young professionals themselves. Furthermore, our council members give up their seat every two years. This allows us to stay young and involve as much young people to municipal politics and our party as possible.
Are you looking to join? Or do you have any questions? Do not hesitate to contact us at fractie@studentenstad.nl, fill in the contact form or join us on this page.